Magritte's Old Saw 1997 Removable hand saw in felt lined case with brass title plate. (shown with and without the saw) 10 x 19 x 8 inches. The brass plate reads: This is not not a saw, a double negative in response to Rene Magritte's Le Trahison des Images (The treason of Images) of 1929. Magritte's painting of a tobacco pipe and the words: Ceci n'est pas une pipe (This is not a pipe) was meant to express the mysterious space between words and images and the objects that they signify or represent. My work extends this space in real time by introducing presence and absence. By simply removing the saw from the case and revealing its impression, an object becomes an image and the inscription on the plate is rendered false. By exploring the interrelationship between a string of words, an image and a physical object, Magritte's Old Saw is a witty take on the painter's study of perception.